Chapter 2 - The House Natalie Bought Twice
The Brooks house sat on Worthington Avenue behind two enormous oak trees and a low stone wall.
Natalie had grown up there.
She had also, in a legal sense, purchased it twice.
The first time came when Thomas's medical equipment business nearly failed during Natalie’s final year of college.
Thomas never knew Margaret had borrowed against the house to cover business losses.
By the time Natalie discovered what had happened, foreclosure proceedings were weeks away.
She was twenty-three.
She used every dollar of her first signing bonus.
Then borrowed against an investment account.
Then persuaded a bank to restructure the remaining debt.
The house survived.
The second time came fifteen years later.
Derek had convinced Margaret to guarantee a construction loan using the family property as collateral.
His development failed.
The lender pursued the house.
Natalie intervened again.
But that time her attorney insisted on protection.
"If you save this property," Daniel Mercer told her, "you do not leave yourself exposed again."
A transfer document was prepared.
Thomas and Margaret signed.
Ownership moved into a trust controlled by Natalie with life occupancy rights granted to her parents.
Derek had no ownership interest.
Claire had no ownership interest.
Margaret understood every line.
Or at least she had pretended to.
Now, on Sunday morning, Natalie parked across the street and watched Margaret waiting in the front doorway.
Thomas sat behind her in the living room.
Derek's black SUV was in the driveway.
Claire's silver sedan was parked at the curb.
A family summit.
Natalie almost drove away.
Then she remembered the photograph.
She entered.
Margaret closed the door immediately.
"Give me your phone."
Natalie laughed.
"No."
"This is serious."
"So was the plastic plate."
Derek stepped from the dining room.
"Oh, for God's sake."
Natalie faced him.
"Say one more thing about Friday night and I'll increase the interest demand."
Derek's jaw tightened.
"You think money makes you powerful."
"No. But contracts help."
Claire came from the kitchen.
"Natalie, please."
Natalie looked at her.
"You had a voice Friday night."
Claire swallowed.
"I know."
"You decided not to use it."
"I was scared."
"Of what?"
Claire glanced at Margaret.
That glance told Natalie more than the answer would have.
Thomas called from the living room.
"Nat."
Natalie went to him immediately.
Her father seemed smaller than he had three days earlier.
His right hand trembled slightly on the cane.
He reached for Natalie.
"I'm sorry."
The words nearly broke her.
Natalie knelt beside him.
"You didn't do anything."
His eyes filled with tears.
"I should have stopped it."
"You were barely able to stand."
"I could have spoken."
Margaret appeared in the doorway.
"We are not here to discuss the dinner."
Natalie rose.
"That's convenient."
Margaret looked at Derek and Claire.
"Both of you leave."
Derek frowned.
"What?"
"Go."
"I'm not leaving my own family meeting."
Margaret suddenly shouted:
"Leave!"
Everyone froze.
Derek stared at her.
Natalie had rarely heard Margaret speak to him that way.
Claire grabbed her purse.
Derek muttered something under his breath and followed her outside.
Margaret waited until the front door closed.
Then she locked it.
She returned to the living room.
"Show me what you received."
Natalie did not ask how Margaret knew.
She took the photograph from her purse and placed it on the coffee table.
Thomas saw it first.
His reaction was immediate.
His cane slipped from his hand.
"Thomas?"
Margaret rushed toward him.
But Thomas was staring at the woman at the edge of the photograph.
Natalie saw recognition.
"Who is she?"
Thomas closed his eyes.
Margaret answered.
"No one."
Natalie laughed once.
"Do you really think that still works?"
Margaret picked up the picture.
Her fingers trembled.
"Where did this come from?"
"I don't know."
"Who called you?"
"You tell me."
Margaret turned toward Thomas.
He looked exhausted.
"Margaret," he whispered.
"No."
"We cannot keep doing this."
"No."
Natalie's pulse accelerated.
"Doing what?"
Thomas looked at her.
"Your mother thought it was protecting you."
Margaret snapped:
"Thomas."
He ignored her.
"Natalie, when you were nine, you disappeared."
Natalie stared at him.
"What?"
"For three days."
"No."
She laughed in disbelief.
"I went to Grandma Rose's house."
Margaret said quickly:
"Exactly."
Thomas looked at Natalie with tears in his eyes.
"No, sweetheart."
Natalie's skin went cold.
"You didn't."
The living room seemed to tilt.
Thomas continued carefully.
"We told you that later because you were confused. You had been sedated."
Margaret turned away.
Natalie could barely hear herself.
"Where was I?"
Thomas looked at the photograph.
"With that woman."
"Who is she?"
Margaret whispered:
"Her name was Evelyn Hale."
Was.
Natalie caught the word immediately.
"Was?"
Margaret did not answer.
Thomas did.
"She died."
"When?"
Another pause.
"Twelve days after this photograph was taken."
Natalie looked again at the dark-haired woman reaching toward her younger self.
"How?"
Thomas opened his mouth.
Margaret spoke first.
"Car accident."
Thomas looked at his wife.
Natalie saw it.
A lie.
Not necessarily all of it.
But enough.
"Was she related to me?"
Margaret's eyes hardened.
"No."
Thomas said nothing.
Natalie turned to him.
"Dad?"
Margaret moved between them.
"Enough."
Natalie stepped around her.
"Dad, was she related to me?"
Thomas's face collapsed.
"I don't know."
Margaret slapped her palm against the coffee table.
"We agreed."
Thomas looked at her.
"No. You decided."
For the first time in Natalie’s life, she heard hatred in her father's voice.
Margaret went pale.
Thomas struggled to his feet.
"I have lived thirty years with what we did."
Natalie backed away.
"What did you do?"
Thomas looked at her.
"We brought you home."
Margaret whispered:
"Thomas, stop."
May you like
He continued.
"But you weren't ours when we did."
